The souls-like style has turn out to be the flavor-of-the-industry in recent times, because of video games like Elden Ring and the namesake Darkish Souls changing into massively profitable. These days, with a view to stand out on this extremely aggressive house, a sport wants some type of participating hook to reel gamers away from different titles–be it a gameplay mechanic, overarching story, or distinctive visible type.
Blighted–the newest from Guacamelee developer Drinkbox–is making an attempt to lure souls-like followers into its desolate world with all three of these components, and the result’s shaping as much as be one other hit below the Drinkbox banner. Whereas at its core, it feels acquainted to what gamers will count on, Blighted’s distinctive attributes waste no time in shining by means of, and after my time with the sport at Summer season Recreation Fest, I count on souls-like followers could have one other unbelievable expertise to sink their tooth into come 2026.
For many who missed the trailer at SGF Stay, Blighted is an isometric action-RPG with fight just like different souls-like games–slashing, dodging, and parrying are key to victory. It’s set in a world befallen by Blight, a plague that alters actuality itself. Earlier than the Blight, the folks of this world would plant a seed within the mind of those that handed away, and when a Reminiscence Tree grew from that seed, the folks would eat the fruit from the tree and acquire the deceased particular person’s recollections.
Nevertheless, a sinister being named Sorcisto discovered that by consuming the mind instantly, he would acquire overwhelming energy and information. Sorcisto then consumed the brains of all of the lifeless he may discover, setting the Blight into the world and changing into the malevolent demon the participant units out to defeat.
Because the participant defeats boss monsters, they too should devour the brains of the conquered, which then threatens to make Sorcisto’s strategies cyclical as a substitute of a one-off aberration. That type of overarching menace, and the way in which the sport presents the ever-building Blight within the participant character after defeating a boss within the demo, is teasing a narrative that might turn into probably the greatest the style has ever seen.
Fight might be essentially the most “regular” factor within the Blighted demo relating to souls-likes, however by creating a well-recognized system for brand spanking new gamers to leap into, Drinkbox merely is not fixing what is not damaged. Battles with enemies are tense affairs, marked by the flexibility to dodge, parry, and discover openings for attacks–all hallmarks of what makes these kind of video games so beloved.
Preventing, regardless of that familiarity, felt actually good; parrying assaults and turning the parry into a dangerous counterattack was as satisfying right here because it ever is in different video games of the ilk. The boss battle–a struggle in opposition to an enormous spider-like creature with a horse’s head–drove these factors additional, as watching the spider-horse-thing hit the bottom after a well-timed parry was immensely satisfying.
Higher nonetheless, I did not must play the sport solo, both, because the developer strolling me by means of the sport additionally revealed Blighted’s co-op features–which means those that wrestle with souls-likes (like me) can convey a buddy to assist proper from the soar. Having the dev with me on the journey allowed me to get my bearings sooner, and in flip, upped my enjoyment of the demo.
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Regardless of the fight being acquainted, Blighted additionally presents a singular mechanic with a ton of promise: The idea of Blight itself. On-screen always is a “Blight meter,” which rises and falls relying in your efficiency within the sport. The extra Blight I had saved, the more durable the sport turned; after I died and needed to restart, I misplaced a few of my Blight meter, which lowered the problem.
By tying the sport’s issue on to the participant’s efficiency, Blighted ingeniously sidesteps one of many souls-like’s style particular debates: How arduous ought to the sport be? Right here, the reply is “as arduous as you make it by your skill to play it,” which locations the onus on the participant; it is a system that, ought to it pan out within the ultimate launch, could possibly be the subsequent main step within the souls-like style as a complete.
My temporary demo supplied solely a snapshot of the Blight system in action–I may see the meter rise and fall with my actions, however I did not discover any tangible change to enemy energy or another issue indicators. That stated, the thought nonetheless holds a ton of promise, even when it will take some extra time to actually really feel its results.
All of Blighted is about in a world with a visible type that appears to be at battle with itself. The vestiges of the fallen civilization–colorful buildings, extravagant murals, and more–are all besieged with darkness and decay because of the Blight, creating an fascinating visible dynamic. Every world I walked into throughout my time within the demo instructed its personal story, and all of it led again to Sorcisto, the demon who tried to forsake the tried-and-true traditions of his fellow man–and ruined a complete inhabitants within the course of.
Drinkbox is certainly onto one thing with Blighted; the combination of acquainted souls-like mechanics, distinctive story, and revolutionary method to issue has the potential to additional invigorate a style that’s already teeming with new concepts. The Blight idea could possibly be a game-changer if it pans out, and if it does not, there’s nonetheless lots to love in Blighted that Drinkbox appears more likely to have one other success story so as to add to the record with Guacamelee, Severed, and No person Saves The World.
Blighted is about to launch in 2026 on consoles and PC.
